Baby Boomers Redefined

Baby boomers in Dublin are changing stereotypes of what it means to get older.

An increase in aging adults is bringing with it an increase in demand for physical activities in Dublin.

teer administrator for the city of Dublin. “They redefined it as they knew it then, and they’re redefining it as we now know it.”

By Thailyr Scrivner

The Dublin Community Recreation Center organizes events, activities and trips through its senior citizen group, the Dublin Community Senior Citizens. Although this group is for the older segment of the baby boomer population – ages 55 and up – the center’s staff is listening to the wish lists of what members call the “40-plus group” of baby boomers, who will be joining in years to come.

“We want to provide services and programming that will keep them healthy, active and involved in their community,” says Wanda Kamler, senior adult program supervisor at the center.

There hasn’t necessarily been a growth in the number of programs, but rather a shift in programming, Kamler says. And that shift is toward fitness.

These ideas didn’t come from the center’s efforts to promote health, but from a 2010 survey of residents ages 47 to 65.

“I think first of all, we’re dealing with a generation (of people) who changed so much culture throughout their entire lives,” says Christine Nardecchia, volun-

The many events designed by boomers include a golf scramble in the fall and different nature hikes and walks through Dublin parks. The various fitness classes available Monday through Saturday each week at the center are the most popular activities for the estimated 900 members.

“We’re just in the development stage,” says Kamler. “We’ve gathered the information, we’ve been listening to the boomer and we’re going to continue listening to the boomer. We’re putting out programming that hopefully is the answer to what they’re asking us.”

What those boomers are asking for is the opportunity to be active, she says.

Many boomers are also interested in mental health through volunteer work, says Nardecchia.

The Bicycle Ambassador Program –which she expects will consist mainly of baby boomer volunteers to maintain safety and maintenance for the soon-tobe bike lanes and paths – will launch in the spring of 2012.

A focus group in the spring for baby boomers, hosted by AARP, solidified the notion that Dublin residents weren’t sacrificing activity with age.

“…All we heard about was active, active, active; they wanted active parks, things that will bring the community together more,” says Nardecchia.

The city is starting to think about people not only starting families in Dublin, but also those moving here for their retirement years and beyond, Nardecchia says. From what she hears boomers saying they want in years to come, she’s not sure what we can expect senior centers to look like 15 years from now.

“People are living longer, they’re healthier,” she says. “People in their 60s are not the people in their 60s 30 years ago. We don’t necessarily see them as seniors; we see them as adults who are interested in maintaining active and healthy lifestyles.”

For more information about programs and activities available through the Dublin Community Recreation Center, visit www.dublin.oh.us/recreation.

Thailyr Scrivner is a contributing writer. Comments and feedback welcome at gmartineau@pubgroupltd.com.

Transformation.

It can happen immediately with exterior lighting – a popular home improvement in Dublin, where architecture and landscaping lend themselves to taking that impressive step.

Matt Brewer, owner of Softscape Outdoor Lighting, says that in his nine years in the business, he has done “hundreds of homes,” many of them in Dublin neighborhoods such as Tartan Fields.

Homeowners have various reasons for taking the lighting step, the most common being “aesthetics,” Brewer says.

Beyond that, the lighting adds a safety factor, improves security and, in many instances, increases property value.

Lighting provides obvious curb appeal for a home, but that’s not all – Brewer has seen sections of neighborhoods transformed as several owners have installed lights, following the lead of their neighbors, he says. He notes a court in Tartan Fields east of Concord Road near the golf course that has five or six lighted homes, several of them his own handiwork.

Exterior lighting can be as limited or as extensive as owners want, and Brewer strives to meet their expectations through live demonstrations – he strings up strands of lights mounted on rolls of long rubber to show how the end result would look.

While there is no ideal or fixed number of lights, Brewer says the average installation is about 14 fixtures.

Usually, fixtures, which are watertight, have halogen bulbs that use about five volts of electricity and produce 35 watts of light. Less popular are 50-watt halogen bulbs. The cost of a complete installation averages $160 to $180 per light, Brewer says.

While LED bulbs have been developed for uses beyond decorative lighting, such as holiday displays, “They’re kind of expensive (for general lighting). They can pay for themselves over time, but it would take seven or eight years,” he says.

Because incandescent bulbs are more expensive to burn and have shorter lives, they’re seldom used.

Besides lighting the house, a project likely will include some walkway and perhaps tree or shrubbery illumination as well as driveway lighting. Some owners want to do decks and patios, too.

Lighting trees along with the house adds depth to the appearance, Brewer says. He plans the completed appearance based on the outside lights, not the look with interior lights burning, too. They’re not on consistently or in the same rooms at night, so they’re immaterial.

Upkeep is a minor problem, though, as bulbs can last two years or more and can be easily replaced by homeowners, Brewer says.

Controls range from timers that can be set for precise times to solar-controlled timers, or a combination of both so lights come on at dusk and go off at a pre-set time.

It doesn’t seem to be an optional homeowner expense that’s going away. Brewer hasn’t felt the economic crunch much, given that he keeps busy doing tune-ups for many of his 700 customers, he says. And it’s looking better. “This year is going to be my biggest,” says Brewer.